The Moon in December 2027
In December 2027 the Moon goes through four main phases: first quarter on December 6, full moon on December 13, last quarter on December 20 and new moon on December 27. The full moon, traditionally called the Cold Moon, comes on Monday, December 13 at 11:09 AM ET (4:09 PM UTC). The new moon falls on Monday, December 27 at 3:12 PM ET.
On December 1 the Moon is a waxing crescent, 9% lit. By December 31 it is a waxing crescent, 17% lit. All times on this page are Eastern Time (New York), rounded to the minute, with UTC alongside. The live tool at the top uses your own time zone.
| Phase | Date | Time (ET) | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|
| First quarter | Monday, December 6 | 12:22 AM | Dec 6, 5:22 AM |
| Full moon | Monday, December 13 | 11:09 AM | Dec 13, 4:09 PM |
| Last quarter | Monday, December 20 | 4:11 AM | Dec 20, 9:11 AM |
| New moon | Monday, December 27 | 3:12 PM | Dec 27, 8:12 PM |
December 2027 moon calendar, day by day
Phase and lit share at noon in New York, the Moon’s direction in the sky, then moonrise and moonset in New York. “None” means the Moon does not rise (or set) that calendar day.
| Day | Phase | Lit | Moon | Rise | Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Dec 1 | Waxing Crescent | 12% | Ascending | 10:07 AM | 7:36 PM |
| Thu, Dec 2 | Waxing Crescent | 19% | Ascending | 10:40 AM | 8:38 PM |
| Fri, Dec 3 | Waxing Crescent | 27% | Ascending | 11:08 AM | 9:39 PM |
| Sat, Dec 4 | Waxing Crescent | 36% | Ascending | 11:32 AM | 10:39 PM |
| Sun, Dec 5 | Waxing Crescent | 45% | Ascending | 11:53 AM | 11:39 PM |
| Mon, Dec 6 | First quarter | 55% | Ascending | 12:14 PM | none |
| Tue, Dec 7 | Waxing Gibbous | 64% | Ascending | 12:35 PM | 12:39 AM |
| Wed, Dec 8 | Waxing Gibbous | 73% | Ascending | 12:58 PM | 1:40 AM |
| Thu, Dec 9 | Waxing Gibbous | 82% | Ascending | 1:24 PM | 2:44 AM |
| Fri, Dec 10 | Waxing Gibbous | 89% | Ascending | 1:55 PM | 3:52 AM |
| Sat, Dec 11 | Waxing Gibbous | 95% | Ascending | 2:33 PM | 5:02 AM |
| Sun, Dec 12 | Waxing Gibbous | 99% | Ascending | 3:22 PM | 6:13 AM |
| Mon, Dec 13 | Full moon | 100% | Descending | 4:22 PM | 7:20 AM |
| Tue, Dec 14 | Waning Gibbous | 98% | Descending | 5:32 PM | 8:20 AM |
| Wed, Dec 15 | Waning Gibbous | 94% | Descending | 6:48 PM | 9:10 AM |
| Thu, Dec 16 | Waning Gibbous | 88% | Descending | 8:06 PM | 9:51 AM |
| Fri, Dec 17 | Waning Gibbous | 79% | Descending | 9:22 PM | 10:24 AM |
| Sat, Dec 18 | Waning Gibbous | 69% | Descending | 10:36 PM | 10:53 AM |
| Sun, Dec 19 | Waning Gibbous | 58% | Descending | 11:47 PM | 11:19 AM |
| Mon, Dec 20 | Last quarter | 46% | Descending | none | 11:44 AM |
| Tue, Dec 21 | Waning Crescent | 36% | Descending | 12:58 AM | 12:09 PM |
| Wed, Dec 22 | Waning Crescent | 26% | Descending | 2:08 AM | 12:38 PM |
| Thu, Dec 23 | Waning Crescent | 17% | Descending | 3:17 AM | 1:10 PM |
| Fri, Dec 24 | Waning Crescent | 10% | Descending | 4:26 AM | 1:47 PM |
| Sat, Dec 25 | Waning Crescent | 5% | Descending | 5:31 AM | 2:32 PM |
| Sun, Dec 26 | Waning Crescent | 1% | Ascending | 6:30 AM | 3:24 PM |
| Mon, Dec 27 | New moon | 0% | Ascending | 7:21 AM | 4:22 PM |
| Tue, Dec 28 | Waxing Crescent | 1% | Ascending | 8:04 AM | 5:24 PM |
| Wed, Dec 29 | Waxing Crescent | 3% | Ascending | 8:40 AM | 6:26 PM |
| Thu, Dec 30 | Waxing Crescent | 7% | Ascending | 9:09 AM | 7:28 PM |
| Fri, Dec 31 | Waxing Crescent | 13% | Ascending | 9:34 AM | 8:29 PM |
Distance and height in the sky
The Moon is closest to Earth (perigee) on December 15, at 364,027 km. It is farthest (apogee) on December 4, at 404,661 km, and again on December 31.
The month starts with a rising Moon. It reaches its highest path on December 13 (declination 26.6° north) and then descends. It reaches its lowest path on December 26 (26.6° south) and starts to ascend again. A high declination means the Moon rides high in the sky and stays up longer, as seen from the United States.
Why it is called the Cold Moon
The name comes from the almanac tradition of the northeastern United States: it comes with the long, cold nights near the winter solstice. These names were popularized in the 1930s by the Maine Farmers’ Almanac, which presented them as Native American names.
Next: today’s moon. Before: the previous month. See all the full moons of 2027, or sunrise and sunset times for any city.